Poverty in Utah – It ain’t pretty and it ain’t improving

A report on poverty in Utah recently released publishes this information:

• 14% of Utahns have no net worth
• People are working more than one job and those jobs aren’t paying enough for families to make ends meet
• Utah’s poverty rate has gone from 9.4% to 10.2% in the last five years
• The uninsured rate among low-income Utah children grew by more than 90% in the last five years
• Utah renters earn an average of less than $10 per hour while the average one-bedroom apartment requires a wage of nearly $11 per hour

The legislature recently announced a budget surplus.  While the governor and others would like to see that money go to teachers – and no doubt some of that money should – it is clear that there are other areas that are in dire need of attention.   Human services need top priority.